Fiat Camper Warranty and Camper Assistance extension offer

[Matrix Meanderer]

Just received an email offer from Fiat Professional to extend the Ducato warranty and Fiat Camper Assistance (roadside help) by up to 3 years. Looks attractive but I cannot find the premium payable to extend the warranty. I am especially interested in extending the Camper Assistance service as my vehicle is just two years old.

 

My local Fiat dealer is checking this out for me as they were not aware of the offer.

 

Has anyone taken up this offer?

Is it good value for money?

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Derek Uzzell]

Prices of the “Maximum Care Camper Warranty” are quoted here

 

http://simpsonsmotorhomes.co.uk/news/fiat-max-care-extended-warranties-now-available

 

This seems to be suggesting that the warranty extension needs to be taken out when the vehicle is first sold, whereas the following link indicates otherwise

 

https://www.fiatprofessional.co.uk/Services/Warranty/Extended_Warranty

 

(You’d need to check the terms and conditions of the warranty very carefully.)

[Brian Kirby]

Simpsons price, at £990 for three years, looks very expensive compared to other European breakdown insurances, especially those available as a "bolt on" to normal vehicle insurance. The main difference being that the Fiat version, in conjunction with AA, includes replacement parts. Whether the likelihood of failed parts makes the premium acceptable is a matter only individuals can judge.

 

It will be interesting to see if Nick Fisher picks up on this and, given his far greater experience of the likelihood of parts failures, is able to comment.

 

The main problem, I suspect, is that whereas major parts (engines, gearboxes) can be extremely expensive, both in terms of initial cost but also of labour (which I assume the extended Fiat warranty covers), their failure rate is very low.

 

Secondary to that, it seems unlikely that parts considered to be "consumables" (clutches, brake parts etc., for example) are included or, if they are, will only be covered if inspection reveals failure was due to faulty materials or assembly and, if not, you get all of the bill! This is where Derek's advice to scrutinise the terms and conditions of the extended warranty is so apt.

 

There is another difference between the product Simpsons refer to, and that which Fiat refer to. Simpsons limit mileage to 30,000 miles over three years, while Fiats permits up to 200,000km! Even allowing for the difference between miles and kilometres, that is quite a difference. I suspect due to Simpsons information having been overtaken by events.

[Muswell]

It's interesting that Skoda offer an extended warranty at a lower price if you take it out when you order the vehicle than after it has been registered.

 

My experience has been that the time for problems is when the vehicle is new, or after 5 years have passed and your extended warranty has expired. The people offering the warranties are like bookies, they have the statistics and are in it to make money..

[euroserv]

Hi Guys,

 

I am not aware of this offer but there used to be a deal available back in the day when only one year of warranty was offered and as long as you took up the offer before the end of the first year after registration you could extend the total cover to the end of 3 years or 60,000 miles.

 

Until January 2017 Fiat UK was offering 3 years with a limit of 120,000 miles in year 3 plus 3 years of roadside assistance which was pretty good but has now changed this to 3 years, 100,000 miles and only one year of roadside assistance. This is the deal for vans; campers may be different.

 

If you are being offered an additional 3 years after the initial 2 for £990 I would seriously consider it. EGR and DPF's give me much cause for concern, particularly on vehicles that are used infrequently. The costs for rectifying these issues can be very high. I would also be more than tempted if i had a comfort-matic gearbox because while they are pretty reliable; the costs to repair them are also a bit alarming.

This figure of just shy of £1000 is the sort of amount normally charged by manufacturers for one extra year of warranty.

 

A good example is that of my Jeep. I bought a 2.5 year old car with 6 months of manufacturer's warranty left. To extend this would have cost £595 per year for up to 3 extra years. The dealer was able to offer it's own very comprehensive warranty for £595 for 3 years, and having made the necessary checks into how easy they were to deal with and whether our local Jeep dealer was happy to do work on that basis; it was a no-brainer. £595 per year was too much.

 

Always check the terms of the warranty and the scope of what is covered. If it only covers major mechanical components, these; as Brian has said are very reliable. It's the likes of pressure sensors, EGR valves, turbo's and injectors that will be more likely to be a problem and if they are not covered; I would say that this offer is not really worth it.

 

N

 

PS. I seem to be replacing a lot of cooling fans on 2013 to 2015 vans at the moment..........

[Brian Kirby]

Hi Nick. Do you keep a log of the problems you encounter, and when they tend to arise? I'm just wondering if it is possible to illustrate what is most likely to fail on which variants, and when the failures generally arise? Or is it more a case of random events without an identifiable pattern? Might be interesting.

[euroserv]

I keep records of everything that i do and file them by vehicle and when i notice a pattern i pay more attention to that and open a file for the issue in question but many of them are occurring on vehicles that while only 2 to 4 years old, have covered from 125000 to 250000 miles! Most of these issues may or may not be linked to age but in most cases it's the mileage and daily stress that is causing them; i think.

 

There are some devices connected with emissions that may be more vulnerable to failure if the vehicle is less well used but i have no data to support that. However strongly i suspect this, I don't run or repair any vehicles on my fleet that do less than 30000 miles a year.

[Muswell]

I know this is for cars and is not a manufacturer's warranty but they effectively exclude EGRs DPFs and catalytic converters.

 

https://www.warrantywise.co.uk/car-warranty/whats-covered

[Deneb]

The following are not covered by the Maximum Care Camper Warranties:

 

SERVICING

Routine servicing, changes and replacement of oil, oil filter, air cleaner, fuel filter, passenger compartment filter and climate control system refilling.

 

WEAR

Parts subject to wear and tear (components requiring regular replacement): tyres, wheel rims/covers, spark plugs/glow plugs, clutch, brake discs/pads, battery, windscreen-rear window-headlight wiper blades, rear brake shoes, brake drums, belts (excluding timing belt), shock absorbers, light bulbs (interior and exterior), fuses, exhaust pipe system (except the emissions control system, catalytic converter and DPF, which are included), lubricants, filters and wheel adjustment.

 

BODY

Seals, wheels, locks and keys, handles, hinges, light clusters and plastic parts, gaskets, light bulbs, paint, interior trim, windows, glass scraper, door and window weather strips (excluding sunroof), interior upholstery and fabrics: doors, seats, mats, kick plates and engine compartment panel. Collisions, fire and theft damage, scratches, abrasion, chemical damage.

 

OTHER

Components not originally installed by FCA or damage caused by installing unauthorised accessories.

 

http://www.mopar.eu/camper/en/mopar-vehicle-protection/extended-warranties?utm_source=MAXIMUM%CARE%CAMPER&utm_medium=UK&utm_campaign=NL_Ottobre2017

 

[Brian Kirby]

euroserv - 2017-11-02 8:39 AM

 

I keep records of everything that i do and file them by vehicle and when i notice a pattern i pay more attention to that and open a file for the issue in question but many of them are occurring on vehicles that while only 2 to 4 years old, have covered from 125000 to 250000 miles! Most of these issues may or may not be linked to age but in most cases it's the mileage and daily stress that is causing them; i think.

 

There are some devices connected with emissions that may be more vulnerable to failure if the vehicle is less well used but i have no data to support that. However strongly i suspect this, I don't run or repair any vehicles on my fleet that do less than 30000 miles a year.

Thanks Nick. So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you are unaware of any recurring weaknesses in X250 or X290 Ducatos? If that is so, the apparent £900+ premium for extending the warranty for a further three years (albeit one also gets the European breakdown service), doesn't look good value, given that the majority of warranty issues should emerge during the two years standard warranty period.

 

The obvious rider to that is to use the vehicle as much as possible during the warranty period, and to be sure to make sufficiently long runs while doing so to get the DPF fully up to temperature.

 

I just have this niggly feeling that too many motorhomes suffer mechanical problems from a misplaced sense of "kindness"! A little mechanical sympathy over the first few thousand miles, while the engine is tight and running hot, is fine - but so is a good, long, fast, blast on a motorway from time to time, to blow out the cobwebs! :-)

[euroserv]

While you are correct, Brian and logic combined with experience suggests that this warranty extension offer is a waste of money......but:

 

£300 per year INCLUDING European cover is a very attractive deal. If it were me and I had £900 to spare up-front then i probably would do it. I have no good reason to suspect that i might have a claim but on the other hand......

 

The latest NOX trap that is fitted to Euro6 vehicles is a complete unknown and that sort of thing bothers me. Will it work? Will it cause issues with the EGR or other parts of the injection system? Who knows? No other manufacturer has gone down that route; perhaps their engines were not clean enough to start with?

 

If i had a Euro6, i definitely would do this. A Euro5, not so much.

 

Mmmm.

[Brian Kirby]

Thanks again, Nick. Interesting.

 

My European breakdown cover presently costs me under £60 per year. It is provided by RAC, includes Homestart, emergency roadside assistance, recovery to nearest repairer anywhere in the territorial limits, if unrepairable within 12 hours up to 14 days car hire, replacement driver if only driver unable to drive, vehicle repatriation to home or nominated repairer if not reparable locally, overnight accommodation costs (limited, room only), repatriation of driver and up to 7 passengers.

 

The Fiat warranty seems to provide broadly similar cover, plus parts and labour foc, for the first two years.

 

The question then is, is the three years extended warranty really worth in the region of an extra £240 a year, in order to get the cover extended to include the allowable parts and labour as well?

 

It's all a matter of peace of mind, isn't it? If you pay and nothing breaks it was an expensive decision. If you pay and something breaks, probably a good decision. If you don't pay and nothing breaks it was an excellent decision. If you don't pay and something breaks, it was an expensive decision if the bill is much higher than £720! :-)

 

See where I'm going? Its an 'ard life, innit? Decisions, decisions! :-D

[Derek Uzzell]

I note that information about the Contractual Warranty on the Fiat Professional website

 

https://www.fiatprofessional.co.uk/services/warranty/contractual-warranty

 

differs from Nick’s comment in his posting of 1 November 2017 5:46 PM that there was a terms/conditions change from January 2017.

 

I’m also not convinced that the “Max Care” extended warranties mentioned on the Simpsons Motorhomes website are what Matrix Meanderer was referring to in his original posting (or whether the Simpsons Motorhomes entry is up-to-date).

 

It might be wise to wait until Matrix Meanderer has obtained feed-back from his Fiat dealer about the offer that was e-mailed to him and can post that information here. Once the terms/conditions/premiums are known,the attractiveness of the offer can be better established.

[Deneb]

The exclusions that I posted above are a cut and paste from the link in the offer that was posted to me earlier this week by Fiat.

[euroserv]

Derek Uzzell - 2017-11-03 7:04 AM

 

I note that information about the Contractual Warranty on the Fiat Professional website

 

https://www.fiatprofessional.co.uk/services/warranty/contractual-warranty

 

differs from Nick’s comment in his posting of 1 November 2017 5:46 PM that there was a terms/conditions change from January 2017.

 

I’m also not convinced that the “Max Care” extended warranties mentioned on the Simpsons Motorhomes website are what Matrix Meanderer was referring to in his original posting (or whether the Simpsons Motorhomes entry is up-to-date).

 

It might be wise to wait until Matrix Meanderer has obtained feed-back from his Fiat dealer about the offer that was e-mailed to him and can post that information here. Once the terms/conditions/premiums are known,the attractiveness of the offer can be better established.

 

Hi Derek,

That link does indeed state that the mileage limit in the 3rd year is 120,000 but when i was on the Fiat stand at the CV show in April, the warranty terms were displayed on every vehicle and i queried it with the staff who confirmed that it is now limited to 100,000 miles. The reduction in roadside assistance from 3 years to 1 was also displayed and confirmed. I checked with Peugeot and Citroen and they are exactly the same.

 

This comes at a time when Renault are now offering 4 years!

 

There is a culture of penny pinching going on with Fiat at the moment. Many items that were previously standard are now an option. On top of the considerable price increases this year there are now additional costs of about £400 to bring a Ducato Maxi up to the same spec as was included previously. Spare wheels, tool kits to use the spare wheel and even the wheel arch extensions are now optional.

 

Don't forget that there are different warranty terms for Motorhomes to that which apply to vans. Fiat are also not very good at keeping their website up to date.

[Deneb]

I might be able to add a bit of clarity to this. If the OP received the same mailshot as me, it was the Fiat Professional Fiat Camper October newsletter, which includes a section about Maximum Care Camper extended warranties, and states "Maximum Care Camper offers you the chance to extend your cover beyond the Ducato contractual warranty period". There is a link to the FP website to "Find out more".

 

This link contains the details of what the extended warranty covers, and the exclusions that I have already posted. It shows that three options are available, all for an additional 3 year warranty above the original 2 year period, buit with a choice of maximum accumulated mileages in each additional year up to a maximum of either 30,000, 45,000 or 60,000 miles in the final year.

 

There are no indications of prices or how to purchase the warranties in either the mailshot or on the web page, however the linked web page starts with the introductory text "When you purchase a Ducato or Talento Base Motorhome and combine it with a Mopar® Vehicle Protection extended warranty plan ..." which although not definitive does suggest that the plan is intended to be obtained at the time of purchasing a new vehicle.

 

There is also a link on the web page to login at the MyDucato sub site. (I am pretty sure that the Fiat Camper newsletter is only sent to those people registered on MyDucato, although I may be wrong).

 

Having logged in the MyDucato, which incidentally has also undergone a redesign and does not seem to be either as intuitive or informative as previously, I followed a link to a FAQ page which includes information on extended camper warranties. This indicates that an extended warranty can only be obtained at the time of purchasing a new Ducato or Talento based camper, and not subsequently.

 

Incidentally, as my van is a PVC ordered by the converter as a UK spec vehicle for subsequent conversion at their factory, I have the 3 year, 100,000 mile contractual warranty mentioned by Nick rather than the 2 year camper warranty.

 

Edit: Just checked the warranty booklet that came with my van and it states 3 years, 120,000 miles. The warranty shown against my van on the MyDucato website is shown as 3 years, 100,000 miles. I have a print of the warranty details shown on the previous version of the website, which also stated 3 years but did not contain any reference to mileage, only the expiry date. Not that this is likely to be an issue for me, but it seems a bit disingenuous if Fiat can reduce the warranty mileage subsequent to supplying the vehicle. If it came into dispute, the warranty book that was supplied with the vehicle would I suspect take precedence, but what would happen to anyone who had lost or mislaid the booklet?

 

[Matrix Meanderer]

Thanks Derek. I am querying the "Max Care" offer through my local Fiat dealer which services my Ducato. They came back to me today after consulting a regional person who confessed not to know about the promotion. I've sent them the email circular that I received and am waiting for the outcome.

BTW and FYI this is the webpage that you get to when following the click link in the email:

 

http://www.mopar.eu/camper/en/mopar-vehicle-protection/extended-warranties?utm_source=MAXIMUM%CARE%CAMPER&utm_medium=UK&utm_campaign=NL_Ottobre2017

 

Will keep the Forum posted when I get a reply.